1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a method for lowering high blood cholesterol levels in hyperlipidemic animals, and more particularly, feeding such hyperlipidemic animals a therapeutically effective amount of pyruvate to accomplish the objective. The invention also concerns confections containing pyruvate as media for ingesting the pyruvate.
In human patients, blood cholesterol levels range from 120 to 330, measured as milligrams of cholesterol in a deciliter of blood (mg/dl). High blood cholesterol is a subjective determination. High levels of blood cholesterol are a risk factor for developing heart disease when accompanied by high blood pressure, obesity, organic heart disease or a family history of organic heart disease, diabetes, smoking (tobacco), and in patients who have recently survived heart attacks. The age, medical history and condition of each patient must be reviewed before determining what constitutes a "high" level of blood cholesterol for that patient. For example, in a healthy patient, less than 30 years old with no significant medical history, a blood cholesterol level above 200 mg/dl might be considered "high" and a patient is a candidate for treatment. In a healthy patient 20 to 40 years old with no significant medical history, a blood cholesterol level above 220 mg/dl might be considered "high". In a healthy patient 40 to 50 years old, with no significant medical history, a blood cholesterol level above 250 mg/dl might be considered "high". In any patient, blood cholesterol levels above 250 mg/dl are usually considered to be "high" and appropriate for treatment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hyperlipidemic patients exhibit high blood cholesterol levels and are considered to be in jeopardy of various circulatory diseases, diabetes and heart attacks.
Pyruvate and mixtures of pyruvate with dihydroxyacetone have been described for a number of beneficial results:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,057 describes oral administration of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone to prevent excessive accumulation of fatty deposits in a mammal liver due to ethanol ingestion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,835 describes oral administration of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone to reduce an expected weight gain from a given diet or to induce a weight loss in a mammal. The patent also describes oral administration of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone to athletes prior to strenuous athletic events to increase endurance and/or performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,575 describes oral administration of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone to increase the body protein concentration in a mammal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,937 describes oral administration of pyruvate to a mammal to induce a weight loss or reduce an expected weight gain from a given diet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,764 describes oral administration to a living being of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone to induce a weight loss or to reduce an expected weight gain from a given diet and for inhibiting body fat while increasing body protein concentration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,812,478 describes oral administration of dihydroxyacetone to an animal to induce a weight loss or to reduce an expected weight gain from a given diet.
Copending patent application Ser. No. 232,118, filed Aug. 15, 1988, describes the use of pyruvate and dihydroxyacetone for increasing the glucose uptake in the muscles of an animal. Application Ser. No. 232,118 has been abandoned and replaced with continuation application Ser. No. 546,680, filed Jul. 5, 1990.
These described results of oral administration of pyruvate and pyruvate with dihydroxyacetone are of great interest for medical patients who ingest ethanol; medical patients having fatty liver deposits or tendencies toward fatty liver deposits; medical patients who are obese or have a tendency toward obesity; normal subjects desiring to lose body weight or to retard body weight increase; normal patients, particularly athletes, who desire to increase endurance; and medical patients having diabetic tendencies.